


Build Me Up

by mrhutch98



Category: Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-12-31
Updated: 2015-06-20
Packaged: 2018-01-06 22:40:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 9,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1112365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mrhutch98/pseuds/mrhutch98
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the games Peeta moves into Victor's Village, being broken by the loneliness of his life. He waits for someone to build him up,but he is picky and will only allow one person to do it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

I sit on the couch in my "house". Lonely. My family wants to have nothing to do with me. I asked and even begged them to move in with me. No luck. I'm stuck here to wallow in my sorrow all by myself. Even Katniss is more considerate, and that says a lot. My "lover" and I haven't been on the best of terms ever since the games ended. After a minor altercation she denies to even spit in my direction. You simply ask her a simple question about her motivations and your the bad guy. Women these days. Sure makes me glad I don't like them. It sure gets boring just sitting here, consuming oxygen. I lay down on the couch and slowly drift to sleep until I'm interrupted by a knock on my door. I get up and walk to the door. I look through the peep hole and see Katniss. Shit. What does she want? I reluctantly open the door.  
  
˝Hello Katniss" I say. She looks at me with the usual coldness in her eyes.  
"May I come in?" She asks. Before I have a chance to answer she pushes past me and comes in. I guess she took my silence as a yes.  
"Peeta we can not go on like this." She says, sitting on the couch in the living room.  
"Like what?" I ask nonchalantly. If looks could kill I'd be dead.  
"Acting like we both don't exist. Look, I don't care if you like me romantically or not because quite frankly I think we have no chemistry, but we can't just ignore each other. We need to get on a more friendly base." She says, putting emphasis on no chemistry.  
"I think I'd like that." I admit, smiling a bit. She opens her mouth to respond but is interrupted by the sound of her name being yelled. She quickly stands up and opens the my door. A moment later she comes back with another visitor. I turn around to see who it is and my jaw drops.  
"Peeta." Gale says, nodding his head as a greeting. My mouth goes dry. Out of all the people in my house is has to be him!  
"G-gale" I say, giving him a weak nod. Katniss gives me a puzzling look.  
"Well, we gotta go... talk later?" Katniss says, looking at me with concern.  
"Y-yea sure" I stutter, sitting down in a nearby chair to keep my balance. She and Gale leave and I let out a sigh of relief. I go back to my couch and fall into it. I actually somewhat enjoyed having other humans in my house. To bad I'll never get used to it.


	2. Chapter 2

I look out of my bedroom window. Snow. All I see is snow. How delightful. I sit on my bed and sulk. Why can't I have friends? Hell, why didn't she just kill me in the arena, at least then I won't be so alone. I walk down to an extra bedroom, or as I call it my art room, and set up a canvas. My art is my only friends since the games. Since the games I've been toxic. No one wants to be around me.I sigh and start painting. I let my mind do it's work and soon I smile when it's complete. Wow. I can't believe I just painted that. Looking back at me is a picture of naked Gale, with me between his legs giving him a suck. I blush and then hear a banging on my door. I run down and look through the peep hole. It's Katniss again. Shocker. I open the door and she barges in.

"Ummm Hi?" I say. She looks back shivering.

"We need to talk." She says, sitting on the couch. I sit on the couch across from her.

"About?" I ask, crossing me legs.

"Us" She says, biting her lip. Shit. Cmon Katniss! Out of everything we could talk about you choose this!

"Go on " I say, playing with the strings on my sweats.

"Do you love me?" She asks. I bit my lip. I believe we both know the answer.

"Define love" I say, trying to change the subject.

"Do you feel as if you couldn't go on in life with out me?" Katniss says, squinting her eyes as she leans in.

"Yes, in a way." I respond, twirling my hair.

"What do you mean?" She asks.

"I love you like a brother loves his sister, but not in a romantic way." I say, choosing my words carefully. She smiles a bit.

"I knew it." She says. I cock my head. She smiles.

"I know you want Gale." Katniss says, smiling. I can feel my cheeks burn as I start to blush.

"W-what! That's so not true I'm straight" I say, twiddling my thumbs.

"Peeta, don't lie to me. You look at him like he's a meal." Katniss says, smiling.

"Why do you care anyway? " I ask.

"I'm trying to be friends." Katniss says, picking up the random book on the table.

"Well now that were on a friendly level I can finally talk about this." I say, sighing. Being gay isn't exactly the best thing to be here. It is seen as a capital thing. Out there it is a fad. As my mother used to say, who needs love in 12 when you don't have food. Katniss puts the book down and focuses on me.

"I'm scared Katniss. You how people here think about people like me. They think I'm evil and a sign of the capital." I say, slinking back into the chair.

"Peeta, I can almost bet that people won't think that. I know I don't." Katniss says.

"What about Snow? We both know he'd hate it. It would ruin our star cross lovers image." I say. Katniss laughs.

"Do you really care what Snow thinks? Really?" Katniss says, looking into my eyes.

"No. I don't. He practically ruined my life." I say, anger running through my veins. I feel like punching a wall.

"Then don't worry about Snow." She says, making everything sound much simpler. We both know not worrying about Snow isn't an option. We both know he has his eyes on us. We both know he is not afraid to kill us both.

"I honestly don't think that's possible." I say. Katniss nods but doesn't respond. There's another knock on the door and my breathing stops. Katniss smiles and goes and answers the door. I can finally breath when I see Haymitch walk in. Or should I say stagger in. He falls onto my couch and coughs.

"Ummm may I ask why you are here?" I ask.

"I-is this not my house?" Haymitch stutters. I look over to Katniss. She bites her lip as she tries to hold back laughter.

"It is not" I say, biting my own lip to hold back laughter. Haymitch curses and staggers to the door. He walks out and slams it. Once the door is shut me and Katniss burst out into laughter. Katniss falls to the ground, holding her stomach still laughing. Then there's another knock on the door. I walk to the door and open it. My laughter stops right there and a my smile goes away.

"Ummm Katniss... you might want to see this." I say, stepping away from the door. She gets up and looks out the door.

"What is that?" I ask.

"Something from Snow." She says. She picks up the strange box. She opens it up and gasps. Inside is a white rose with a message. Katniss without saying a word pushes me out of the door and leaves. I shut the door and sigh. I walk into the kitchen and I see there's something on the table. I open the box and inside lies a metal plaque with the capital's symbol on it. How the hell did it get in here? I pick it up and look to the back. There's a message. It reads:

_As unrest rises in the districts in result of your defiance, it is your job to end it. Convince the people to stop the fight or the boy and girl die. -Snow._

I say Gale's name before I see blackness.


	3. Chapter 3

Fuck. I slam my fist down on the counter. Why me? What did I do to deserve this? What do I do? Should I tell Haymitch? No. He's drunk he'll just spew bullshit as usual. I should go over to Katniss's. Yea that sounds good. I put on my coat and boots and walk out into the bright cold snow. I walk to her house and I hear yelling from the house. I am about to walk away when

"We could leave. We could do it Katniss, then we'll be safe." A deep voice, who I'm assuming is Gale, says.

"No Gale! We both know that wouldn't work. What about your family? Hell, what about Peeta? I can't just leave him here." She says.

"Of coarse we wouldn't leave Peeta here. I'm not heartless Katniss" Gale says. I smile. Does he actually care about me?

"It's not going to happen Gale. Face the facts. They'd find us and who knows what type of torture we'd undergo?" Katniss says. That's when the screaming started. Soon the door swings open and Gale comes storming out, pushing me right on my ass. Damn, he's even hot when he's I hear something intriguing.

"Sorry" He says, extending a hand. I grab it and he pulls me up. Once I'm on my feet, he starts storming off again. I sigh and walk in the still open door and gently shut it behind me. I walk into the kitchen where Katniss is sitting. She looks up at me and gives me a small smile.

"You got a message too?" She asks. I nod and sit down.

"What should we do?" I ask. She shrugs.

"I guess we'll have to be as pro capital as possible during the victory tour." She says.

"The idea of that makes me want to puke." I say. She nods.

"We have no choice. We must do it" She says. I know she's right sadly.

"I don't know what I did to deserve this life. It's just not fair!" I say, pounding my fist into the table.

"You don't deserve it Peeta, you really don't." She says. I break down. Tears run down my face and I curl up in a ball. I can't do this. It's too much. I can't handle it. I feel broken. All of the sadness and despair that has been in me since I've been in the games is coming out. It won't stop. It can't stop. Katniss tries to help. She just can't do it. I scream. Katniss starts to panic. She yells for her mom. No answer. She yells for Prim. No answer. I hear the door open and heavy footsteps.

"What's going on?!" Someone says.

"I don't know! We were talking and all of the sudden he started crying and screaming." Katniss says. I feel someone pick me up and carry me upstairs. I am put on the bed and I turn to see who it is. It is Gale. I look over to the door and I see Katniss. They both sit on the bed and try to calm me down. Eventually, I tire myself out and I fall asleep. When I wake up, I look over and see Gale sitting on a chair by the bed. I look to the other side and I see Katniss. Standing at the foot of the bed is Prim, Katniss's mother, and Haymitch.

"Look, the sleepyheads awake." Haymitch says. I groan. Katniss strokes my cheek and smiles.

"Are you feeling better?" She asks. I shrug.

"I made you tea." Katniss's mother says. I shake my head. I don't want tea.

"What was wrong?" Katniss asks.

"Nothing." I snapped.

"You were screaming and crying on the floor." She says.

"It's Nothing!" I say harshly.

"We should probably give him some space." Prim says. I don't think I've ever liked Prim so much in my life. Everyone starts to walk out of the room. Everyone except Gale.

"Will you tell me? " He asks. Shit.

"It's nothing really, just a breakdown." I insist.

"Did you get a message from Snow?" He asks. I bit my lip. "

Yes." I say, quietly. Gale shakes his head.

"Why would he mess with such a fragile boy." He asks himself.

"I am not fragile!" I say. He chuckles.

"Yes you are." He says. I open my mouth to argue but I can't find the words to argue. I am fragile.

"Close your eyes Peeta." He says. I give him a questioning look and then I close my eyes. Seconds later I feel his soft, warm lips press against mine. Is Gale Hawthorne kissing me? Is this just a dream? A few seconds later, he stops and I open my eyes. His cheeks are red from blushing.

"I-I just felt that you needed that." He says. Boy is he right. He stands to get up and I call his name. He looks back.

"Thank you." I say. He nods and smiles and walks out. I lay my head back and smile. That moment made me forget about everything and my lips tingle as I reminisce the experience I just went through.


	4. Chapter 4

Heaven. That is what I feel like I'm in. _The_ Gale Hawthorne kissed me. His lips tasted like tea and sugar. Who am I kidding he did it just to make me feel better. He felt nothing at all. He doesn't like me. Does he? No,of coarse he doesn't. He's straight and likes Katniss. Who would like an emotionally unstable guy like me? As I am contemplating to myself when Katniss walks in.

"Why are you smiling like an idiot." She asks. I snap back to reality and a blush starts to form on my face.

"N-no reason." I lie. She shakes her head.

"Don't lie to me. I know something happened." She says. I bite my lip. Should I tell her? No, Gale might not like that.

"I just... feel better" I say. She gives me a quizzical look and then shrugs. I then decide to get out of bed.

Once I'm up, I smile at Katniss and walk into the kitchen where everyone else is and the whole room turns to look at me. I smile.

"Look everyone I'm fine.. don't worry about me." I say. I look at Gale and he is still blushing. Katniss looks at me then him and raises an eyebrow. I shake my head and Gale turns to avoid her gaze.

"Well... glad your fine feel free to call yada yada yada where's my promised booze?" Haymitch says. Gee, don't I feel great. They have to bribe people to see me now. Katniss sighs and hands him the bottle.

"Thank you. " Haymitch says, leaving right after he takes the bottle. Mrs. Everdeen kisses me on the forehead and Prim hugs me. They both go upstairs. Now it's just us three.

"So Gale, is there something I need to know." Katniss asks him.

"No!" He says quickly. He looks at me, his eyes pleading for me to help.

"Katniss, I told you I just felt better. No need to interrogate the poor guy." I say.

"Well I must be going, I have... a thing to do." Gale says, quickly getting his things and walking out the door. Now it's just us.

"Peeta Mellark you better tell me what's going on!" She demands. She steps in front of the door and makes it clear that I am going nowhere until she knows. That woman can be stubborn.

"Fine! He kissed me!" I say, exasperated. I look up at her and she's smiling like an idiot.

"Woah hold up. He kissed you?" She asks. I nod.

"Wow. Didn't know Gale liked guys." She says.

"He so did it just to make me feel better. He obviously likes you Katniss." I retort, trying to wave it off.

"Doesn't sound like Gale. Maybe he's soften up since the games." She says.

"Maybe he has changed, but he will not hear about this conversation understood?" I say. She nods.

"Of coarse. This stays between us." She says.

"Thanks... I should go." I say. I hug her and head back to my house. I turn my door handle to open it when I feel someone's hand on my shoulder. I shriek and whip around. It's just Gale.

"Hey... can we talk?" He asks. I smile and open the door.

"Sure. Come on in." I say. He nods and follows me inside. He shuts the door behind him and hugs me. Wow. This has been quite a day. I don't question it. He smells like the forest.

"Thank you for helping me out back there." He says, not releasing his grip.

"Hey no problem." I say. He finally lets me go and sits down on the couch.

"Please, take off your coat." I say. He nods and gives it to me. I take it from him and throw it by the door.

"I'm assuming you heard me and Katniss's argument." He says.

"Yes I did." I say. He shifts on the couch.

"Sit down Peeta." He says. I gladly sit down by him and he puts an arm around me.

"What do you think about it?" He asks. I haven't really thought of it. I mean, they're both right. If we leave all hell would break loose in the district. If we don't we have to continue being Snow's puppet.

"I-I don't know. I haven't really thought about it." I admit. Gale chuckles.

"Do me a favor and think about it." He says. I chuckle and lay my head on his shoulder.

"Hey Peeta." He says. I turn my head to face him and before I can answer he grabs my face and kisses me again. I close my eyes and let him do his magic. I feel his tongue knock on my lips. I gladly allow his tongue access to my mouth. He pushes it in and it explores my mouth. He deepens the kiss and I feel his hand run down my chest. I do the same to him, feeling his rock hard abs. After a few more minutes of mouth exploration, he pulls away. He smiles and strokes my cheek.

"G-gale?" I stutter.

"Yes?" He answers.

"Do you like me?" I ask. He smiles and chuckles a bit.

"Peeta, I just made out with you. I don't know how I can be any more obvious." He says. I can't believe my ears. Gale fucking Hawthorne likes me. I have to be dreaming. Maybe I'm still at Katniss's. I have to be. I pinch myself. No luck. I open my mouth to speak but nothing comes out. I try to speak again but this time a sob comes out. Tears start running down my face. Gale grabs me and holds me.

"It's ok Peeta.. I'm sorry I went to far." He says. I look up at him.

"N-no Gale. I-I am crying from joy.. I-I really like you." I say. He smiles and lays on his back, pulling me on top of him in the process. I rest my head on his chest as we both doze off. A couple hours later, I open my eyes and I feel Gale breathing. I smile and lay my head back down. I look up again and gasp. Katniss is standing there with an 'I told you so' look on her face. Well fuck.

 


	5. Chapter 5

"Katniss! It's not what you think" I say. Her smile doesn't leave her face. I feel Gale stir under me.

"Oh yes because I lay on my friends all the time. It's totally normal and not lovey dovey" Katniss says sarcastically. Gale slowly wakes up. He smiles when he sees my face.

"You make an awesome blanket." Gale says in a low, tired voice. Wow that voice was attractive. Gale turns his head and sees Katniss. He freaks and pushes me off of him. Wow thanks Gale the ground feels great.

"Katniss! I-I have no idea how he got there!" Gale says. Katniss chuckles.

"Gale, we both know you were aware. I know what happened in the bedroom." She says. So much for keeping that secret.

"Fine.. I-I'm gay" Gale stutters, looking at the ground to avoid her gaze. "I guess you're going to never talk to me again."

"Gale, don't be ridiculous." Katniss says, helping me up.

"No one else can know." Gale says.

"Why?" Katniss asks.

"My mother would hate me." Gale says. This makes Katniss laugh.

"How is that funny?" I ask.

"It's so ridiculous that it's funny. Gale your mother would not hate you. I promise." Katniss says.

"Mine would." I say. Katniss bites her lip.

"I sadly can't argue that... but who needs her" Katniss says, trying to make me feel better. It's not working.

"How do you know?" Gale says.

"Because I know Hazelle." Katniss says. Gale rolls his eyes.

"The victory tour starts soon." I say. Katniss looks at me and frowns.

"Oh yes we know." Katniss says. Gale frowns.

"I don't think I like the idea of you two being gone." Gale says.

"I don't think I like the idea of going anyway." I say.

"We could still run." Gale says. Katniss gives him a dirty look.

"No Gale. Let's at least go on the tour and see how that goes. Then, if need be, we'll run." She says. Gale sighs.

"Fine. I guess that's the closest we'll get." Gale says.

"Do you think Gale could come with us on the tour?" I ask.

"Good question. I'll ask Haymitch." Katniss says, getting up. "Keep your clothes on you two I'll be back." She nags as she swiftly walks out the door. I go and sit by him and rest my head on his shoulder.

"I sure hope you can go. It would make this trip go from just horrible to less horrible." I say, resting my head on his shoulder.

"I hope I can go too. I need to make sure you and Catnip stay out of trouble." Gale says, chuckling. I smile and reach up to kiss him. He meets me half way. This kiss is not like the one we shared earlier. This one was much softer, but it was also more passionate. There was no tongue trying to invade my mouth. Gale puts a hand on my cheek and I put my arms around his neck. Gale pulls back and smiles.

"You're an amazing kisser you know that?" Gale says. I smile.

"You're not too bad yourself Hawthorne." I say. Gale chuckles and playfully pins me to the couch.

"Katniss said to keep your clothes on. We don't want the wrath of Katniss upon us." I joke. Gale smiles and gives me quick kiss before letting me up.

"You hungry?" I ask.

"Starving." The hunter replies. I waltz into the kitchen and start making some simple sandwiches. I again notice something on my table.

"Gale! Can you come in here?" I yell. Gale comes running in.

"There's another box." I say. Gale raises an eyebrow. I open it and look in. There's a bouquet of roses, but not the white ones. Inside there was also a piece of paper with a mockingjay as the backround. The writing was neat and clear.

_Ignite the flame._

_Spread the word._

_The rebellion is here._

_Let it burn._

_Down with Snow._

_Up with justice._

_Seek refuge in 13._

_Fight for Panem's life._

Well this is a strange message. I thought 13 was bombed after the first revolution.

"Is it scumbag Snow?" Gale asks.

"No. It doesn't say who's it from. Care to read it?" I ask. Gale nods and I hand him the note. I watch him read. He is intrigued.

"We have to tell Katniss." Gale says.

"I planned on it." I say. Gale picks up the bouquet. In the middle of the red roses there is a silver rose. Within seconds, the silver rose bursts into flames, leaving behind a mockingjay. My eyes widen. It was quite the sight. Gale smiles and puts the roses down onto the table.

"Wow." I say. That's all I could think to say.

"Wow is right." Gale says, smiling.

I go back to finish the sandwiches and gives one to Gale.

"Why thank you madame." Gale says. I take the sandwich back.

"Now you get nothing!" I say with a smile.

"Oh Cmon please!" Gale begs. He does a puppy dog face and my heart melts. I give him the sandwich and he quickly eats it before I can take it again. I eat mine and Gale smiles.

"Thanks for the sandwich." He says. I smile and put my hand on his abs.

"Not a problem." I say. He leans down and kisses me. I have to go on my toes but damn it it was worth it. As me and Gale were eating each others faces I hear a cough. I pull away and see Katniss standing in the doorway. Note to self, the bitch is sneaky.

"Aww aren't you guys cute." Katniss says sarcastically.

"Don't be jealous Catnip." Gale says. She looks at the roses and picks one up.

"Why are these here?" She asks.

"They came from a box that was sitting on my table. It came with an intriguing note." I say. Her face perks up. I hand her the note and she reads it. She bites her lip and slowly looks up.

"I think this is a brilliant idea." She says.

"What do you mean?" Gale asks.

"We should run after the tour. We should fail to calm the districts. We should find thirteen. It's time for this to end." She says.

"What if we're caught?" I ask.

"That's a risk I'm willing to take." Katniss says.

"I'm willing too." Gale interjects.

"Are you in Peeta?" Katniss asks.

"Yes. I am in." I say with confidence.

"Good. Also little sidenote Gale can come with us on the tour." Katniss says. I smile and hug Gale. He hugs back and strokes my hair.

Just this morning I felt broken, and now we already have a scheme to undermine the capital. You know, maybe my life is finally turning around. Maybe I might have a good life, with Gale, and I might one day be fixed. I can feel the emptiness that was inside of me after the games fade away. Replacing it is determination. Gale is like a fuel, the great motivator. I am determined to succeed. I am determined to fight to get a happy life with Gale. A life without the games, without Snow. A life where me and Gale could live in peace. Hopefully that day will be soon.

 


	6. Chapter 6

"We have a big big day ahead of us!" Effie trills as my prep team quickly does some finishing touches. Oh joy, the victory tour's here.

"He looks perfect!" Effie says, grabbing my arm and pulling me towards the door.

"Smiles on, head back, shoulders down, chin up! The cameras are here!" She says, pushing me out the door.

I put on my best smile and walk towards Katniss. She starts running and l start running until she jumps into my arms. It would of been very romantic if I didn't fall on some ice. Stupid fake leg. She leans forwards and kisses me. At first, I wanted to push her off. Then I remember, the cameras are watching. I try my best to kiss back. I hope it's convincing. We then hear Caesar's voice. Katniss gets off of me and helps me up.

"Sorry Caesar." She says, chuckling a bit.

After some questioning from Caesar, the cameras go off and Effie starts barking orders. Me and Katniss are being pulled around like ragdolls until we arrive to the train station. Once we get on the train, Effie calms down a bit and Haymitch already finds the liquor. Gale is sitting in one of the chairs at the table, looking at us with a slight smile.

"Have fun falling lover boy?" Gale teases. A slight blush grows on my cheeks. He laughs and gets up. He wraps me in his big strong arms and lifts me up. I giggle and he puts me down.

"Since the approval of our guest was so late he's going to have to share a room." Effie says. Gale grins.

"I guess I could take one for the team and suffer with the big stinker over here." I tease, punching Gale playfully.

"Wonderful! Were off to eleven first! Such an exciting trip!" Effie says, elated.

"Let's go explore our room." Gale says, grabbing my arm and pulling me. I follow him to the room Effie assigns to us and we burst in. It looks very similar to the room I had when we went to the games, but Gale is amazed. He hasn't seen something this extravagant in his life.

"What do ya think?" I ask.

"It's... fancy." He says. I chuckle and push him on the bed.

"The beds are surprisingly comfortable." I note. A grin spreads across Gale's face.

"I bet they are... especially if you're on your... back." He purrs, pulling me on top of him. I smile and kiss him. His tongue automatically demands access to my mouth and I allow it. I feel his hands run down my back and cup my ass. I respond my deepening the kiss. I hear the door open and can only imagine who can be cock blocking us now.

"Damn it you two what the hell!" Katniss says. l quickly jump off of Gale and he bolts off the bed.

"K-katniss, haven't you heard of privacy?" I ask.

"Shut it Peeta. You two better not have sex! Effie doesn't know about you guys and she doesn't need to find out!" She exclaims.

"What if we do?" Gale asks. She turns to him and walks towards him, their faces inches away.

"I will personally cut of both of your guy's man parts." Katniss says. I have a feeling she isn't bluffing.

"Isn't that a bit extreme?" Gale asks.

"Isn't making everyone on this damn train listen to you two plow each other extreme?" Katniss retorts.

"We haven't. " I interject.

"Well you looked pretty damn close." She says, leaving the room and shutting the door. Gale gets up and locks the door.

"No more interruptions " Gale says with a smile. He pushes me down and gets on top of me. His heavy body sends my smaller body farther into the mattress. He goes straight to my neck and starts kissing it. A slight moan escapes my lips. He then starts to gently bite my neck. I run my hand through his hair before he bites harder, enough to make it bruise.

"Ohh... Gale." I moan quietly. He smashes his lips into mine and starts to grind his clothed crotch onto mine. He pushes his tongue into my mouth and his tongue automatically dominates mine. I let him take control and I run my hand down his chest.

"I wanna fuck you into next week." Gale growls. There's a banging on the door.

"There's food out here!" Katniss yells. "You two better come out in the next ten seconds!" Me and Gale scramble to the door. We walk out and Katniss sees my hickey.

"What the hell is that!" She whispers.

"Nothing..." I lie. She gives me a look that makes me want to jump off of this train.

"Gale! Care to explain what is on his neck!" Katniss hisses.

"Ummm... I got caught in the heat of the moment." He says.

"How are we going to hide this from Effie!" She says.

"Make up? " Gale suggests.

"good idea. Follow me." She says. We sneak to the make up compartment and she quickly covers my hickey. We then hurry to get to dinner before Effie has a cow. Once we arrive to the table we all sit down.

"Where in the world were you three?!" Effie asks.

"Ummm... we heard a strange noise so we went to investigate." Gale ad libs.

"Was everything alright?" She asks.

"Of coarse no problems. " Gale says. Effie smiles and starts droning on and on about how exciting this trip is going to be. Me, Gale, and Katniss silently eat our food, only replying to questions stated directly to us. Once Effie allows us to leave we all scatter to our rooms. Gale wraps his arms around me and I look up into his eyes and smile.

"That was a close call." He says.

"Too close. You need to behave." I joke, smiling. Gale smiles and kisses me. I melt into his lips until he pulls back and yawns.

"I'm tired" He says. "Wanna catch some Z's?"

"Sounds perfect." I smiles and strips to his underwear and my jaw drops. His toned chest almost shines in the light. My eyes follow the slight line of hair that runs down his abs down into his underwear. Each ab of his six pack stand alone. His pelvic bone shows above his underwear, almost like a teaser for me. Gale notices my stare and smiles.

"You like what you see?" He asks. I think like is an understatement.

"I love it." I say. He steps in front of me and tries to pull my shirt off. I pull it back down. Gale's body makes me very self conscious of my own.

"Babe come on don't be afraid. " He says. I sigh and let him pull my shirt off. He smiles and comments on the beauty of my body. He kisses my belly before he unbuckles my belt and pulls my pants off. His eyes go wide when he sees my skimpy briefs.

"Wow.." He mutters.

"Are these bad?" I question.

"Bad? My boxers just shrunk." He jokes. I look and he isn't joking. Wow he looks big. I don't have much time to drool at it before he pulls me into bed and wraps his arms around me. He cuddles close behind me and kisses my neck. We trade good nights before we both fell asleep.

 


	7. Chapter 7

They're after me. I just know it. I run to the cave.

"Katniss!" I scream. She's not there. I get frantic. She said she'd be here! I hear something at the entrance. Shit. I hid behind a rock and watch. I see the silhouette walk in. It's only Gale. I'm about to run up and hug him when he falls over, blood gushing out. Behind him, Katniss has a arrow set and ready. A wicked smile crosses her face before she releases the string. Before the arrow hits the world starts shaking.

My eyes shoot open and I jolt up. Sweat is running down my face. Gale groans beside me and pulls himself up into a sitting position.

"Nightmare?" He asks. I nod and he pulls me into his strong arms. "I'll keep you safe babe." He says, as he lays down. I cuddle up against him and slowly fall back asleep. In his arms my nightmares are less horrifying.

"Boys! get up!" Katniss yells, banging on the door. "Don't make me have to come in there." She threatens. Gale groans and rolls over, ignoring her. She sighs and storms in. She pulls the covers off of us.

"I said get up!" Katniss nags. A smile forms on her face when she sees me in my tight briefs. "Awww how cute!" She jokes.

"S-shut up!" I say, blushing and covering my almost nude body.

"Is Catnip jealous again?" Gale teases, groaning and pulling himself out of bed. Katniss flashes him a dirty look.

"I am not jealous! They do look good on you though." She says. I don't think I could blush more than this.

"Can you leave?" I ask.

"Planned on it." She says, backing out of the door and shutting it behind her. I get out of bed and Gale looks me up and down. A smile forms on his face.

"What's this?" He asks, looking straight at my morning glory.

"Take a guess." I say. Gale opens his mouth to respond but is interrupted by another knock on the door.

"Boys! Breakfast is ready!" Effie trills. I simply put on a robe and Gale pulls on a pair of pajama bottoms. We walk out to the table and sit down in our chairs. Haymitch grins.

"So by the looks of it someone got laid." He whispers. I shake my head.

"No, didn't happen." I say. Before Haymitch can reply Effie walks in, trilling on and on about the "big big day!" that lies ahead of us. Instead of listening to the rather lovely speech from Effie, I decide to focus on my delicious, but strange, breakfast. It is a orange oatmeal-like substance that tastes like the cherry tarts I used to eat before the games. Effie says that it's supposed to taste like your favorite foods from home. I don't understand how it's possible but the Capital has done stranger things. Gale kicks my foot from under the table and smiles.

"What?" I whispered. Gale mouths something that I can't understand. He then pokes his tongue through the side of his mouth to make a small bulge show on his cheek. I get it now.

"No! not right now." I say. Gale sticks his lip out and begs. I couldn't say no to that.

"Fine. May we be excused?" I ask. Katniss raises an eyebrow.

"Of coarse! We should be in 11 in exactly 1 hour and 20 minutes." Effie announces. Gale gets up and rushes to our room. I get up to follow when Katniss pulls me down.

"Remember our deal." She hisses. I gulp. Would she consider a blow job sex?

"Y-yes Katniss." I stutter. Before she could add anything more I run off to the room. When I walk in Gale is already down to his boxers and has a sexy smile on his face. He walks up to me after I shut the door and gently pushes me against it. He automatically smashes his lips into mine. His tongue slides between my lips and starts to venture around. I let out a slight moan. He pulls back and smiles.

"Sit down." I say. He smiles and sits down on the edge of the bed. I plant a kiss on his chest and work my way down to his nipple. Once there, I gently bite it and continue down to his abs. I suck and lick each individual ab before I continue kissing down. I make it to the waistband of his boxers and I pull them down to his ankles. His erect joy stick pops out and up. My jaw drops. He is a big boy. He smiles down reassuringly at me. I take a deep breath and start to lick up his shaft. I hear Gale grunt. I then start to gently suck his head. Gale puts a hand on the back of my head and pushes on it. I slide down, running my tongue around the most sensitive part of his head. Gale grunts with approval and I go down further and further. Suddenly Gale grabs my head and pulls it. I look up at him with an empty mouth.

"I hear footsteps." He says. I listen. He's right, those are footsteps. Gale fumbles to pull pants on right before the door opens and Katniss walks in.

"Why aren't you getting ready?" She asks. Gale shrugs.

"We were talking." I lie. Katniss raises an eyebrow and smiles.

"Sure you were, now get ready." She demands. Gale rolls his eyes and pulls a shirt on. Katniss finally leaves and I get dressed. No prep team, no problem. Once I'm fully clothed, I walk out to find the walking schedule.

"5 minutes until arrival!" Effie says, adjusting her obnoxiously pink wig. Gale walks in and sits down. Lucky bastard gets to sit around while I face 11. Once Katniss enters Effie starts to rattle on and on about the plans for the day. I tune her out and replay the heated moment in the bedroom. Before I know it were going through the gates into 11. Me, Katniss, and Gale look out the window. Fields as far as you can see. In those fields are people who all look miserable. Peacekeepers all stand around, armed. They're in the watch towers and in the fields. We arrive at the train station and we step off expecting a roaring crowd. I couldn't be more wrong. There wasn't any people except some Peacekeepers. They poke us with their guns. Effie looks like she's about to explode. Once we get to the justice building for the lunch Effie starts to rattle on about manners before we meet the mayor. Gale nudges me and points to a window. I glance out and see the square start to fill up. Oh joy. The mayor walks in and says his greetings before sitting down at the head of the table. We all take our seats and start to eat the lovely delicacies the district has to offer. I don't think I've ever had such an awkward lunch in my entire life. Turns out the mayor isn't very talkative. Once the lunch is over Effie starts to go on another tangent explaining the procedure and the speeches.

"You wanna talk?" Katniss asks. I shrug.

"Sure why not." I say. We take our places at the doors of the justice building. The doors open and we walk out. I scan the crowd. The crowd is anxious. Maybe anxious isn't the right word. I walk up to mic and clear my throat. I open my mouth to speak but nothing comes out. Take two. I look down at the card Effie handed me and read off of it. I consider ad libbing but then I remember the letter from Snow. Running away will be dangerous enough. Katniss takes the mic and my heart automatically sinks. I can already tell she's going to do something stupid.

"I might not of known Thresh, but without him I wouldn't be here. If he wouldn't of had mercy for me I'd be dead. Even in the most atrocious situations, there's a ray of sunshine. That's where Rue comes in. I did know her. An innocent little girl killed by the backwardness of the games. She was the only thing that gave me happiness in the arena. She shouldn't of died. She didn't deserve death." Katniss says, her voice as strong as ever. Before she could say anything else, the Peacekeepers grab our arms and pull us off stage. Once the doors shut, they let us go.

"What was that?!" Gale asks.

"Honesty" Katniss says. Gale shakes his head.

"Did you forget about the letter?! Hell he could of had just ordered our families to be killed!" Gale says.

"Snow wouldn't do that yet." Haymitch interjects. "if he breaks you three too early you could really rally the districts. He's smarter than that."

"Yea Gale " Katniss says, almost childlike. I hear gunshots outside and Katniss runs to the window. I don't even want to see the horrors that could be going on outside. I start to feel sick. Effie comes in, panicking.

"We must get going!" She trills. We follow her to the train. Once we get on we all go straight to our rooms.

"Gale" I say.

"Yes?" He says, turning towards me.

"I think I'm... " I say before the world starts to spin and goes black.


	8. Chapter 8

"Oww my head." I grumble. Gale chuckles and adjusts my pillows.

"You did take quite a fall." He notes.

"what happened?" I ask.

"A couple hours ago after the speeches you said you think and then you fainted." Gale says. "Katniss should be back with the ice." My head feels like its been beaten with a hammer. Katniss walks in with a bag of ice.

"How are you feeling?" She asks. I groan. She raises an eyebrow and puts the ice on my head.

"Cold Cold Cold!" I shriek. Gale chuckles.

"Well it is ice." Gale notes. Katniss punches him.

"Gale! Be nice he might of forgotten what ice was!" Katniss says. I roll my eyes.

"I know what ice is Katniss no need to abuse him." I say. Katniss rolls her eyes.

"I'm going to go get some food for you. Keep your clothes on. That means you Gale." She says, glaring at Gale who currently is sporting a cocky smile.

"Yea yea Catnip." Gale says. Katniss rolls her eyes and walks out. Gale smiles and leans in.

"You think I should take my shirt off just to piss her off?" He asks. I smile and shake my head.

"She'll have your head." I say. Gale then moves from my ear to my lips and gently presses his against mine. He grabs the side of my face and deepends the kiss.

"Damn it Gale stop it! The door is wide open!" Katniss hisses. Gale shrugs.

"Calm down nothing happened." He says.

"Do you want Effie to know! She'll tell everyone and put us all in grave danger! Not just us, our families. So keep your lips to yourself and behave!" She snaps.

"I'll be careful now please stop lecturing me." Gale says. Katniss rolls her eyes and places the food beside me.

"Eat up, we dont want you to starve and die." She says. Wow Katniss could you be any more blunt? I take a bite out of a normal looking sandwich and once the food touches my taste buds my eyes widen. This tastes like the cinnamon rolls I used to make at home. Stupid Capital food, making me all homesick. I continue to chow down on my sandwich as Gale and Katniss start to argue about nothing.

"Did we leave 11 yet?" I ask.

"Yea we left soon after you fainted." Katniss says. Gale nods and starts to play with my hair.

"What are you doing?" I ask. Gale smiles.

"What does it look like I'm doing I'm playing with your hair." He says.

"How old are you exactly?" I ask.

"This is like vacation for me ok? Geez you two are like the naggy twins." Gale says. Katniss shoots him a glare.

"I am not naggy!" Katniss snaps. Gale rolls his eyes.

"Sure your not, now can you leave? I would like to spend time with my boyfriend." Gale says. Did he just say boyfriend? I am _the_ Gale Hawthorne's boyfriend! Katniss rolls her eyes.

"Fine but if I catch you two naked you both will lack man parts." She says as she departs from the room. Gale smiles once the door shuts and sits on the bed beside me. He puts his hand on its usual spot on my face and smiles down on me.

"How'd I get so lucky?" He asks. I raise an eyebrow and he chuckles. "Get comfortable babe it's storytime. I liked you ever since I saw you at the reaping. Before then, I have never seen you around. Watching you in the games was misery. I didn't know what I would do with myself if you would of died. There was a time during the games where... I thought you were a goner." Gale says, biting his lower lip at the last part.

"But when I realized you'll probably survive, my heart jumped with joy. It sank when I watched you and Katniss on screen eating each others faces. It just wasn't fair. Why couldn't it of been me? Once you came back, I decided that I would have to get you using dirty games. When I showed up at your house that one day I wasn't really looking for Katniss, I was looking for you. That look I saw in your eye when you saw me told me everything. I didn't need to play any games to get you. I just needed a moment of wild courage to get you to be mine. I saw that oppurtunity when you had that breakdown. I thought that the best way to make you feel better is to give you what you want. Luckily our wants are the same. Now because of that moment of wild courage I have the best thing to ever happen to me." He says, smiling down at me again. I am lost for words. Could all this be true? Do I really mean this much to _the_ Gale Hawthorne? I open my mouth to answer but is interrupted by a bloodcurling scream.


	9. Chapter 9

Gale jumps to his feet and runs out the door. I pull myself out of bed and my head starts to spin. I walk out and I see Effie leaning on a tabel, breathing heavily.

"What happened?" I ask. Katniss glares at me.

"Why did you get out of bed!?" Katniss asks, pulling a chair out so I can sit.

"The tour... it's being cancelled." Effie says.

"That's it? That scream was just over that?" I say. Effie looks up at me with fire in her eyes.

"They don't just cancel victory tours for no reason Mr. Mellark!" She staps.

"Loosen up sweetheart the boy just asked a question." Haymitch says. Effie storms off to her room.

"Sit down, all of you." Haymitch says. Gale and Katniss sits on either side of me. Haymitch looks over his shoulder and sighs "I assumed you knew there was unrest in the districts. After we left 11, the people started fighting back. News spread of the fighting and 8 started fighting. I guess Snow has decided that all you've done was stur the pot. We're on our way to the Capital." He explains. Katniss looks at me, then at Gale.

"Haymitch, do you mind If we have a moment to discuss the recent revelations." Katniss says. He nods and walks back to his room.

"We need to go." She says.

"How?" I ask.

"When the train stops for fuel, we run." She says.

"And how do you know we'll stop?" Gale asks.

"We had to go quick from 11. Never had a chance to refuel. I heard Haymitch and Effie discuss it."

"What If Snow uses our families against us?" I ask.

"I have that covered." Haymitch says from the doorway. "Do you really think I'd hand you guys over to a pissed off Snow?"

"How?" Katniss asks.

"I had them disguised and smuggled out of the district. They're in Thirteen. You three will have to travel by foot to district 8. From there someone will take you to Thirteen. We're stopping soon. I'd suggest you all get ready." He says, turning around and going back down the hallway.

Katniss bolts up and rushes to her room. Gale picks me up and carries me back to our room. He lays me down on the bed.

"You stay here, I'll do all the packing." He says as he wildly starts to shove clothes into a bag. He grabs the luggage we didn't unpack and throws it towards the door. Once he's done, he glides over to the bed and sits by me.

"We sure got ourselves in a pickle didn't we babe." He says with a chuckle. He leans down and kisses me. His soft lips seem to calm me. He pulls away and gives me an uneasy smile.

"You ready for this?" Gale asks, pushing the blond curls out of my face. I try to put the bravest face I have and nods. Gale smiles and helps me to my feet. The same dizziness returns. Gale helps me walk out to the table with our stuff.

"You guys ready?" Katniss asks.

"As ready as we'll ever be." I say, my voice shaky. The train starts to slow and soon we stop at a fueling station in the woods. Haymitch whispers something to Katniss and she nods.

"It's time" She says. She grabs her bags and a wagon Haymitch prepared and pulled them off the train. Gale grabs our bags and follows. I slowly follow, the pounding in my head getting worse and worse by the step. Once Katniss and Gale gets all our things on the wagon, Gale turns to me and gasps.

"Shit! You look like a ghost!" He says. He runs up to me and picks me up bridal style.

"Can you handle the wagon?" He asks Katniss. She nods and starts pulling the wagon.

"We need to find a place to stay in tonight." She says. Gale nods in agreement.

"Maybe a cave." Gale suggests.

"I'm thinking the same thing." Katniss says. Fatigue suddenly overcomes me and I fall asleep in Gale's arms.

"Wakey wakey." Gale says, standing over me. I look to my right. Gray.

"Where are we?" I ask. Gale chuckles.

"We're in the cave." He says. "You're laying on a portable mattress. Haymitch really did think of everything." Gale says, smiling.

"Where's Katniss?" I ask.

"Hunting. I decided to stay here with you just in case you came to." He says, caressing my face with his rough but gentle hands. He runs his thumb over my lips.

"So soft.." He notes. "So delicate." He leans down and presses his lips onto mine. I moan into his soft lips. His gentle kiss is backed with force, a feat in which only Gale can perform.

"Shock of the day! They're kissing again." Katniss says from the cave entry, two rabbits and squirrel in her hands.

"Do I hear jealousy in your voice Catnip?" Gale teases.

"No!" She snaps. Gale chuckles.

"Why are you still being a cock block? We don't need to hide it from people anymore." He asks.

"Just... stop!" She snaps again. "I'm going out to cook the damn food. You two behave." She says, storming outside.

"I'll talk to her." I say, pulling myself up onto my feet. Gale opens his mouth to object so I put my finger on his lips. "I'm fine." I say as I walk outside. I see an obviously angry Katniss skinning a rabbit.

"Hey... are you ok?" I ask. She looks up at me with venom in her eyes.

"I'm fine." She lies. I walk over and sit on the log next to her.

"You know you can tell me anything." I say. She looks at me. This time with out the venom.

"I'm fine." She says again.

"No you're not. Something is obviously bothering you." I say. She drops her knife.

"Fine.. I guess it's just hard watching the only two guys that I ever could have a chance with kiss. It just reminds me how I will never get that." She admits. "Not that I need it." She adds.

"Oh... Come on Katniss don't say that. There's a guy out there that is meant for you. And I need Gale. You're independent. I wish I could say the same." I say. Katniss smiles a bit.

"I'm sorry... I shouldn't let my jealousy get the best of me." She says. I smile.

"I think I'm liking this whole friendship thing." I say. Katniss smiles.

"I agree."


End file.
